Cogito Ergo Q

Most artists interested in the relations between media and
consciousness are familiar with the 'Turing test,' a procedure which
forces us to confront how an artificial intelligence might be able to
pose as human. The '20Q test' may soon become just as important for
media artists. Invented by Ottowa-based developer Robin Burgener, 20Q
is a version of the traditional 'twenty questions' game in which an
online intelligence reads a human player's thoughts with startling
accuracy. Working with some 10,000,000 synaptic connections, the
website is even able to account for false steps in players' reasoning. The more people visit 20Q, the better it gets at guessing, making
startling connections based on a logic that transcends any one
individual's ideas (the site's handlers even claim that it 'seems to
be developing a warped sense of humor' all on its own.) The '20Q
test' turns the 'Turing test' around. In the latter, an artificial
intelligence can pose as authentic. In 2OQ, one experiences
how 'authentic,' personal thoughts can be reduced to chains of
connections that seem completely artificial. - Ben Davis